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Great advice, tomhaze! That's exactly the method I employ. Glad to see someone else agrees that confrontation, bashing or challenging isn't always the best method of handling hecklers. I do primarily restaurant/close-up work and occasionally get the "I know how you do that" person. I'm always complimentary to them and have gotten much better reactions after that than when I tried the "ok, then you do it" route. Plus, its just overall more professional. Being nice to someone when they are expecting a rude retort (and actually looking for it) is almost always surprising to them. Then they don't really have ammo to fight you with.
The other thing to remember is you never know who else is listening and watching you. There may be someone very important in the audience that is taking mental notes as to how you handle difficult situations/spectators. You may get comments to whoever booked you (school official, restaurant manager, etc.) regarding your good/bad handling of the situation. Believe me, I've had it happen. Thankfully it was after I had just praised the heckler and gotten a really good response from that person afterward. I had a nearby table actually go tell the manager how impressed they were with my professionalism and how I'd made the person feel good despite how they were treating me. It felt good to hear about that from the manager himself later that evening. Another possibility is that someone might think "Hey, that guy really knows how to handle himself and the spectators - even the rude/rowdy ones. I think I want him for my next party." Your reputation will get around quickly if people notice how well you handle difficulties.
Food for thought.
Dave
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